Of Singing and Revival

Few things sadden me more as a music leader than looking out at the congregation and seeing many people (especially men) who refuse to sing.

And then there are many who DO sing, but it is very evident that they are not internalizing the message of the song. Perhaps this is even more saddening. At least the non-singers are being honest.

I found this video by Paul Keew, who was a fellow student at Bob Jones University during my time there. Listen to what he has to say about music being a result and evidence of revival in our hearts:

When God Works, People Sing: Introducing Watchsong from Paul Keew on Vimeo.

Go ahead and check out his site. They have some great resources. 

I'm thankful I have such a wonderful Savior to sing about!  

Don't Touch My Sacred Cow!

Sacred cows. We all have them in our ministries.

A sacred cow is an idiom that comes from Hinduism, which worships animals. Hinduism is also known for its elevation of cows to a sacred status. In Hinduism, you do not dishonor or desecrate their sacred cows. Even today, you could be jailed or even killed for slaughtering a cow in some parts of India.

In our culture, a sacred cow is something that is considered immune from question or criticism. It is something that people hold dear and will be very angry if anyone even dares to change it or question it.

Let's call it what it is: IDOLATRY.

One more time: SACRED COW = IDOL

And sadly, this worship of false gods is very prevalent within our churches. In ministry, sacred cows are those things that are holding back the ministry, but they are not allowed to be changed or questioned.

I have seen these revered cows in every ministry I have been involved with. As a leader, I begin to feel very discouraged and powerless against them. There have been many times where a desperate change has been needed in a ministry, but I am not allowed to touch it because it is a sacred cow to someone. Most often, I am not even allowed to question it for fear of causing division. Such is the way when you try to mess with people's idols.

So then what happens? The ministry continues down the path of idolatry. And while those few people are happy they got to keep their cow, the ministry ultimately suffers in the long run. In some cases, untold numbers of people could be reached and many others would receive a blessing if changes could be made. But because of idolatry, the ministry becomes ineffective.

SNUGGIE CHRISTIANITY

Life is tough isn't it? I mean, we have so much to worry about during our day at work. Then we get home, sit on the couch, pull a blanket around us, AND THE BLANKET IS TOO SMALL! Sure, it may cover our torso and legs, but what about our arms? Are we just supposed to let them freeze? And what if we actually have to get up from the couch? Then we have to leave the blanket behind, freeze half to death, and return to an insufficient blanket. Life is just too stressful to deal with such tragedies. If only there was a blanket with sleeves...

"What have we turned into???"

This thought came to my mind recently and has not gone away, thanks to a few of my recent studies. But I wasn't thinking about wearable blankets. I was thinking about comfortable Christians.

Book of Thoughts #3

We Christians often pass up great opportunities to serve in ministry because "I am not gifted in that area," or "It's not really my thing." Well, if God wants you to serve in a certain capacity, He WILL make sure you can do it. Our excuses are therefore invalid. We have a wonderful example in Scripture:

10 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOUR PASTOR

Do you appreciate your pastor? And if you do, does he know it?

My motivation for writing this is to help church members understand their pastors. The things I am going to point out are often things that pastors will NOT tell their members. Why? Because it is often difficult to predict how people will react. Some members will become angry. Some will judge. Some will wrongfully assume that it is just the pastor being selfish. However, some will be understanding. Some will take it as an opportunity to love their pastors more. It is risky to put these things out in the open. People may not respond in the way anticipated.

This is something that has been on my heart for some time. But there was a big elephant in the room that prevented me from ever following through with communicating these thoughts: My desire is to go into full-time ministry.

I was (and still am) afraid of others reading this post and saying, “Oh, Blake just wrote this because in the future he wants people to give him special treatment.” But that is not my intention. I wrote this because I have seen many examples in the past where the congregation has hurt their pastor. I have seen times when people in the congregation do not understand their pastor, and the pastor feels that he is not allowed to communicate these things. I have many friends who are in full-time ministry that have opened up to me with these very real struggles.

I didn't write this to serve myself. I studied this out as one of the church members to examine how I could support MY OWN pastor better than I currently was. 

Your pastor has been appointed as a shepherd. It is his responsibility to equip the saints and to guide the congregation in the right direction. It is your and my responsibility to make sure we are not getting in the way of progress. Even more than that, it is our responsibility to follow and support our pastors, even when we disagree with them.    

So what are some of these little-known things that your pastor would like you to know about himself?

The Best Decision I Ever Made

Even though I am happily married to my amazing wife, the decision to marry her was the second best decision I ever made. It's OK. She understands.

May I very carefully and HUMBLY ask a question? Do you know 100% that you are going to Heaven? Let me share with you my salvation testimony… how I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior... how He changed me from the inside out. I’ll try to back it up with as much Bible as I can. Stick with me. It is thrilling for me to consider what God has done in my own life:

I grew up in a great Christian family. We have always gone to church 3 times a week. I was always a very good kid. I heard about Jesus all the time. But for some reason, I thought that if I was good enough, that if I did enough good things… that if my good outweighed my bad... I would get to Heaven. But that was definitely not the case. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” This passage means that we can’t obtain salvation through doing good things, but rather, God offers us a gift (that I don’t deserve) that I must accept. No one can do enough good things to get to Heaven.

This realization came when I was about 8 or 9. I went to Children's Church, and the teacher (I wish I could remember his name) taught a lesson from the Bible about Hell. I was scared to death! Why? Because it finally dawned on me. I realized I was heading there. I had never made a decision to accept Jesus as my Savior. Do you know what God requires for anyone to enter Heaven? PERFECTION (Psalm 15:1-2). WHAT?????

Let me explain further... 

Book of Thoughts #2

This is somewhat of a departure from Bible verses, but I believe this truth goes right along with biblical leadership. 


Here is a great lesson in leadership: People rise to what you expect of them. 


However, leaders must be wise in their expectations. Whether this is in ministry, in the workplace, or at home, if we place unrealistic expectations on those we lead, all that will result are feelings of inadequacy. 


Be a good leader. Lead people to their true potential, not the potential YOU want them to achieve.

Book of Thoughts #1

I have a small black moleskin book that I like to carry around with me. It is a place where I can jot down something quickly, whether it be an inspirational quote, bible verse, reference for later, or just something that sparks my interest at the time. 

Basically, anything PONDER-WORTHY may end up in my little book. When I pick it up later and read a passage I wrote, I may jot down my thoughts on that same page. It is an excellent tool that encourages me to keep on thinking. However, sometimes I turn to a page and think, "Why did I write THAT in there???"

I have decided to start a series of blog posts that highlight entries in my Book of Thoughts. I will try to keep the commentaries to a minimum and let the pages speak for themselves, as they do for me. My hope is that these will be an encouragement to others too.  

Peace in the Midst of My Storm: A Devotional Analysis of My Original Painting

I have a painting hanging in my office at work. It is a piece that is very personal and a gentle reminder to me when my job gets hectic and seems like too much to handle… which happens to be every day, it often seems.

It’s fun to see what kind of reactions it gets when people see it. Some look at it and are perplexed, trying to make sense of it. I have had others say that it is very dark. Some look at it for a few minutes and are encouraged by its message. But I am more concerned about what it means for me.

Here is a picture of the painting. I'm sorry that this does not do it justice:

Before I explain the circumstances under which the work was created, I want to explain what you would be able to see if you were looking at it in person.

Don't Let the Preaching Get in the Way

Have you ever considered your philosophy of preaching? I believe this is one area that Christians generally think very little about. We struggle and come up with our own personal philosophies regarding music, evangelism, schooling, entertainment, involvement with the world, and many other walks of the Christian life, but when it comes to our philosophy of preaching we simply settle for what we enjoy or what we “get from it.”

Even if your church is an amazing Bible-believing church that sticks to the truths of Scripture, you need to have a strong personal philosophy about what preaching brings glory to God and how you should respond to it. 

Otherwise (as I have seen happen many times) it is easy to be swayed by a sermon that mishandles God’s Holy Word, but you respond simply because the preacher won you over with his style and speaking ability.  

MY JOURNEY

I have had the amazing privilege to preach in a few different churches over the past few years. I’ll be the first to admit that I have much work to do in my own preaching studies and style. I’m no Billy Sunday. However, I have made a few observations about preaching from my own studies, observation, and experience.

Will Heaven Be Ruined?

One of the biggest misconceptions about Heaven is the thought that when we pass into our new lives, we will start from scratch and begin a new life. However, Scripture shows that our current lives prepare us for Heaven and there is direct continuity. In other words, as Christians we don’t stop this life and start over, our lives continue!  But all those sins and burdens that weighed us down in this life will be gone.

Will we still have memories of this life? Of course! After all, we are shaped by our experiences. If God suddenly did away with my past, “Blake” wouldn’t be going to Heaven… someone else who somewhat resembles Blake would be going to Heaven. I wouldn’t retain my identity.

One of the biggest questions I had about Heaven was, “How can I enjoy Heaven knowing the fact that loved ones are suffering for eternity in Hell?”